An extraordinary cutting-edge thriller from the New York Times-bestselling grandmaster of international suspense.

Meticulous research, crisp narratives, plots as current as today's headlines-Frederick Forsyth has helped define the international thriller as we know it. And now he does it again.

What if you had carte blanche to fight evil? Nothing held back, nothing off the table. What would you do? For decades, the world has been fighting the drug cartels, and losing, their billions of dollars making them the most powerful and destructive organizations on earth. Until one man is asked to take charge. Paul Devereaux used to run Special Operations for the CIA before they retired him for being too ruthless. Now he can have anything he requires, do anything he thinks necessary. No boundaries, no rules, no questions asked.

The war is on-though who the ultimate winner will be, no one can tell...

Product Description

Review

"The Cobra creates a vividly cinematic picture of the worldwide cocaine trade. Forsyth has recharged his batteries, producing his most ambitious novel in years by reproducing the minutely organised detail of his most famous book." -- Barry Forshaw Daily Express "As ever with Forsyth, there is an impressive command of armed weaponry as well as an utterly believable story that moves along at a breakneck pace...Extraordinarily impressive." Daily Mail "This new blockbuster from one of the world's sharpest authors is everything a modern thriller should be and more!" Bury Free Press
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.

About the Author

Frederick Forsyth is the author of fourteen novels and short story collections, from 1971's The Day of the Jackal to 2003's Avenger. A former pilot and print and television reporter, he has had five movies made from his works, and a television miniseries.

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Most helpful customer reviews

I am a fan of Forsyth's work. As usual this is a masterpiece. Unlike his most novels he has spent very little time on building his main characters (that is the reason, I guess, he used heroes from Avenger). But all this is compensated in a fast paced, multi-front and an intense plot. Simply put "Awsome", a treat to Forsyth fans.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)

Amazon.com:
216 reviews

108 of 119 people found the following review helpful

War on the Cocaine CartelAug. 17 2010

By
M. A. Ramos
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Hardcover

This work of fiction was easy to read and it may be because I already had a working knowledge of almost ninety percent of the acronyms used. There is no need to have knowledge of all the acronyms for they are listed in the front of the book and explained as they are used in the narrative. The concept for the novel is rather bold, the president of the United States has decided that cocaine is a clear and present danger to the country; though those exact words are not used. An old school Central Intelligence Agency operative, Paul Deveraux, who was retired from the agency because of his violent yet effective methods is summon to accomplish the task.

From the formulation of the basic desire of the president and with an executive order in hand Mr. Deveraux begins his prep work of building the organization he will need to combat the world cocaine trade and try to stop it. The book does go into detail on this organization building and research performed on the cocaine trade. We the reader are also introduced to the inner workings of the cocaine trade from the inside and can watch the actions and reactions of both sides as the book progresses. The realistic action in the book spans the cocaine using world.

All the above mentioned background is told in great detail and takes about half the book to get us where most readers of action want to be, the actual operation. The reader is privy to the operations as they take place and the cocaine organizations response as these operations to destroy the cocaine industry unfolds. A calculated plan of action with a plot that is easy to read. The background of the inner details we learned earlier about the formation of the anti-drug teams and the drug cartel bear fruits as the story unfolds. A rich yet violent work of fiction that is filled with accurate facts on existing governmental agencies and their capabilities.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful

Forsyth returns to the plate and hits it out of the park.Sept. 17 2010

By
Jerry Saperstein
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Hardcover

Like many other thriller authors, Frederick Forsyth has had his ups and downs. I didn't particularly care for his last outing, but figured I would give "The Cobra" a chance.

I am delighted, though sleep deprived, for the reading. "The Cobra" is an excellent thriller and strongly reminds one of Forsyth's breakthrough hit "Day Of The Jackal".

Forsyth introduces us to a not even disguised Obama suddenly becoming outraged at the toll cocaine is taking of young people. The depiction is so out of character that I almost stopped reading. I am glad I didn't, because the Obama character is invoked again later in the novel to great effect.

The story is, in a way, simple. An old CIA hand, Paul Devereuax, known as the "cobra" for his ruthlessness and cunning, is call out of retirement to quash by every and any means possible the cocaine trade. A Rahm Emmanuel clone gives Devereuax his assignment and the interchange is in a wry way, hilarious. Devereaux demands and gets plenipotentiary powers to conduct his operation. His first recruit is Cal Dexter, who outsmarted Devereaux in another long ago Forsyth novel.

Anyone looking for character development in Devereaux and Dexter will be disappointed. This is more a procedural, with the emphasis on the moves plotted by Devereaux. In reality, more time and words are spent on developing the Columbian bad guys who control the growing, harvesting, processing and distribution of approximately 600 tons of cocaine a year, mainly to the US and Europe.

The detail obsessed will appreciate Forsyth's extensive research into the cocaine trade and the ingeniousness and ruthlessness with which it is done.

For a thriller, there are a few thrills. For the first half or so of the book, Devereaux and Dexter are laying the groundwork to destroy the Columbian kingpin and his organization. Nearly all the second half is given to the routine and highly unlawful destruction of the cocaine trade by Devereaux's small forces and those off its allies.

If you're looking for blood and gore, there's not much here. On the other hand, if you're able to appreciate an unsparing look at the cocaine trade and why it prospers and a rather unbelievable - though to be wished for - offensive against it, this is an excellent book.

The ending came as a surprise to me, but made all the sense in the world given the story. Good stuff.

It is not a typical thriller by any stretch. But it is the best Forsyth has done in a long time. I found it irresistible and sacrificed some sleep to finish reading it.

Jerry

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

A thinking reader's techno thriller.Sept. 8 2010

By
Robert C. Olson
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Hardcover

A thinking reader's techno thriller.I am a bit surprised at the number of negative reviews concerning Frederick Forsyth's new novel The Cobra. It is a typical well crafted, meticulous Forsyth techno-thriller on how to destroy the huge illicit worldwide cocaine network. Written in the vein of a Tom Clancy novel, Mr. Forsyth spends a great deal of time explaining how the Cobra, a retired CIA agent brought back into service by the President, will destroy the cocaine market, and then sets about doing it. A cerebral kind of story without much overt action but still an amazing read.There are two kinds of literary action: That which is conjured up by the mind and that which is graphically portrayed through the written word. Frederick Forsyth's The Cobra is the former. Mr. Forsyth is a master of the tale. Without graphic or gratuitous violence or action, Mr. Forsyth is able through the written word alone bring depth and action to a unique tale that has deviled and perplexed mankind for years: How to stop cocaine drug trafficking. Mr. Forsyth accomplishes this through a logical examination of the cocaine trade and then pinpoints its inherent distribution flaws. Through smart, insightful, deductive writing he then presents an interesting way to disrupt and eventually destroy the cocaine trade through its own inherent corruption. Mr. Forsyth is absolutely brilliant in his reasoning and logic.The downside is the lack of the graphic action that permeates most action thrillers today. Without that adrenalin rush, many readers are left flat and frustrated as many of the reviews of this fine novel show. If one thinks back to John Le Carre, Ian Fleming, or earlier Frederick Forsyth novels this was how those fine books were written: Building complex plots through limited action using the intellect of the mind. Like the formulistic movies today, most readers need the gratuitous chase scene, hot love making, massive shootouts, a cut throat or two, and the requisite fight scene to deem a novel an action thriller today. So be it, to each his, or her, own. I still enjoy a novel that requires a little work and is enjoyable by presenting a well thought-out plot.No gratuitous violence, sex, or language. Character development was mediocre at best. As I immensely enjoy novels where the author develops his characters, this novel was not about that. It was about designing a way to stop cocaine trafficking. In that respect Mr. Forsyth accomplished his goal.I like Frederick Forsyth and highly recommend The Cobra if you want a well thought-out "thinking person's" suspense thriller. If you want non-stop action this novel will probably bore you to tears. Interesting duel twist at the end that will leave the reader satisfied although a little disturbed by the federal government's reaction to the collapse of the cocaine market. As always I look forward to the next Forsyth novel.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

Forsythe ChillsAug. 25 2010

By
Gary Griffiths
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Kindle Edition
Verified Purchase

Frederick Forsyth is one of the great contemporary thriller writers of our generation - a master storyteller who strikes a fine balance between adrenaline, drama, and credibility, neat yarns prowled by admirable but suitably flawed characters. "The Cobra" had all the makings of a Forsyth blockbuster: a relevant topic in cocaine trafficking, drug dealer king pins easy to hate as despicable villains, enough technology to keep a Clancy fan content, and a clever-enough plot with some neat turns. Yet despite the right ingredients, it fell surprisingly flat - a tale that started well with signs of great promise, but ran out of steam before crawling to a fizzle that even an eleventh hour unexpected twist couldn't salvage. "Cobra" lacks the intricacy of "Day of the Jackal," the passion of "Dogs of War," and the sheer thrills of "The Fist of God," and instead falling into line with recent works like "The Veteran," "Avenger," and "The Afghan:" more than passable fiction, but missing the power of Forsyth's earlier efforts.

The story starts in 2010 with the current administration in the White House, but manages to keep partisan politics - on either end - in check. The president, troubled by the death of a staff worker's grandson to cocaine, asks for a comprehensive briefing on the cocaine trade. Enter Paul Devereaux, the reclusive and ruthless former CIA counterintelligence operative known as Cobra. In a nutshell, the prez wants to know if cocaine can be stopped, and what it would take. Devereaux answers affirmatively - given $2B and virtual free reign to act without interference from an alphabet soup of nosey government agencies. So given the go ahead, Cobra assembles his team, including New Jersey lawyer Cal Dexter as his chief of staff, the "tunnel rat" Forsyth readers will remember from "Avenger." The Devereaux/Dexter team pulls some cool stunts with reconfigured grain transport ships, retired war planes, and Navy SEALs, driving Columbian drug lord Don Esteban to murder and much worse while keeping the pages turning.

With shades of Clancy's "Clear and Present Danger," Forsyth's fare is more ambitious, broader, more complex, and technically more interesting - closer to "Red Storm Rising" in scale. But while the Columbian drug cartels and their gang-banger customer-dealers are evil enough, the knock-out punch seems to get pulled each time the thugs are on the ropes. Not that there isn't enough bloodshed, violence, or depravity - plenty and more of that - but when droned in a near documentary-like cadence, the impact is hardly visceral. And while the enormity of the problem must be somewhat trivialized to fit is a standard length novel, I couldn't help get the feeling that Forsyth found himself in a bit over his head half way through, requiring some shortcuts and short hand in rushing to a finish that didn't quite hang together.

So is it worth it? yeah, mostly - Frederick Forsyth can always be counted on for reliable entertainment with some education along the ride. And maybe with another author, where my expectations weren't as high as for this venerable writer not so high, I'd easily throw in another star. But if you're looking for an alternative read that captures the real agony and frustration of the drug wars, Don Winslow's "Power of the Dog" is still the standard bearer.

89 of 118 people found the following review helpful

A Big Waste Of Time And Money!Aug. 19 2010

By
bobbewig
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Hardcover

Being a big fan of Frederick Forsyth since his debut book, The Day of the Jackel, I was looking forward to reading his latest, The Cobra. However, much to my surprise, The Cobra is a major disappointment and, in my opinion, Forsyth's worst book to-date by far. To Forsyth's credit, the premise of The Cobra is an interesting and timely one. The premise is that the President of the U.S has decided to destroy the cocaine industry once and for all, and paves the way for a man called The Cobra (who used to run Special Ops for the CIA) to develop and execute a plan to accomplish this assignment. The Cobra is given carte blanche for anything he needs to accomplish this assignment -- no boundaries, no rules, no questions asked. Unfortunately, Forsyth's book reads like a boring, overly detailed chronicle of the events taken to carry out the President's decision rather than a suspenseful story with good dialogue and well-developed characters. Forsyth wrote The Cobra in a style that is highly narrative, with dialogue kept to a minimum, making the book very slow-paced. And, The Cobra, unlike many of Forsyth's previous books, is virtually devoid of character development, which contributed to my feeling that I never got to know any of the characters well enough to like or dislike them. I imagine that many of you who read my review and are fans of Frederick Forsyth will be skeptical that this author can write a book as bad as I'm describing. All I can say to you is that I hope you heed my advice and not read The Cobra. I'm sure you have better ways to spend your time and money.